Situation in Brussels today......

just heard on the news here in the UK , at least 10 dead and many injured,explosion in both the airport and the metro.not much more news than that at the moment.

The BBC is reporting 26 dead now and many, many wounded. Such a sad day for Belgium and the world.
http://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-europe-35869266

Be safe...

Disruptions are widespread. If anyone is traveling in or to Western Europe, check with your airline, rail service, etc. Expect elevated security procedures across the continent and possible delays/cancellations depending on country.

Friend of mine from Kansas was visiting me in Edinburgh over the weekend , he and his wife went back yesterday morning via Amsterdam, a bit too close for comfort for my liking.

My Daughter was flying from Berlin to London today. She said there was enhanced security at the airport.

Unfortunately this will only add to those pushing fear and distrust of the Muslim world. The only purpose of the bombings is create fear with no military objective. We are scheduled to be in France in September and, unfortunately, the couple we are traveling with tend to get very nervous. We are going even if they do not. I view this a little like being hit by lightning - cannot control it.

BBC perspective on the situation, especially regarding flight cancellations and airport/train closures:

http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-35870700

I believe this is a consequence of the arrests on Friday and may have been expected. How terrible for those involved.

Ken,
Thanks for posting this...

My daughter who is studying in the UK sent me a text early this morning (2:30AM), but I didn't see it till I awoke.

My thoughts & prayers go out to all the victims, their families & friends...

Nuclear stations in Belgium are now being evacuated.

Woinparis, are you okay?

How terrible for the people injured or killed, and their families! In addition to the murder and mayhem, the physical damage is tragic, but the Belgians and all of us who support peaceful coexistence will persevere. We'll continue to travel and meet new people, but will be vigilant and comply with all safety and security measures. May this end soon!

thoughts and prayers with the victims

Thinking of Woinparis too, they're such a frequent traveler. There has been terrible loss of life both at the airport and in the metro. These thugs. They make me sick.

So sad,,,i beleive woinparis is himself ok, but in events like this it takes time to check that your friends, work colleages and neighbors are all ok. When this happened in Paris frequent local posters on another forum were all ok, but some lost friends, and did not know immediatly.

Hugs

One poor injured gentleman in Brussels, a missionary from Utah, was at the Boston Marathon Bombing and was in Paris during their last bombing. My daughter was in Brussels a few weeks ago and was heading off on another trip this weekend. I am glad she has decided to stay in Bonn rather than travel right now. I will sleep better.

You make an excellent point, Pat.

I was horrified to hear about these attacks yesterday. My thoughts are with the families of the victims and the Belgian people as a whole.

My sister and I leave for Paris one month from yesterday. We're still looking forward to our trip. We don't want to live in fear and allow these sick, sorry excuses for human beings to control everything we do.

Sarah - I agree with ya! I leave a month from today for RS Holland/Belgium tour, for the April 27 tour. Staying in Brussels three days prior, then heading to Ghent to meet up with our group. I too, am not going to let them stop me. I travelled overseas a month after Paris in November 2015 to Czech, gernmany, Austria, hungary and all was fine. Just lots of security.

Looking forward to a wonderful trip.

Kim

Woinparis answered my PM & is safe...

Very sad news in Brussels. No way would my wife travel in Europe now. Common sense says to stay home and avoid being over there..She has more common sense than I do. So please stay state side and don't go. It isn't worth the risk.

Max, you and your wife are certainly entitled to feel as you do but speaking for myself, I wouldn't have any hesitation going to Europe right now. I honestly don't feel a whole safer in the states, depending on what 'safe' means to you. On any given day there are just as many opportunities for me to suffer great bodily harm right here as there are when we travel.

Here I was, scared to go to the US from Germany, as I was fearful of getting mugged or shot in a drive-by shooting. These are things that don't happen here, but I went anyway.

I figure when your time is up, it is up and it doesn't matter a whit where you are or what you are doing. Has nothing to do with common sense. Otherwise, I would huddle in a bombing shelter somewhere.

I think when we see tragedies like this, it strikes a real emotional chord, however, emotions aside, there is still the reality of probability and statistics.

I live and work in a much safer environment than most of those here. I looked up the crime statistics for my zip code and every zip code I visit on a regular basis and violent crime is infinitesimally rare. Much more rare than in the tourist districts of some cities. So I really cant relate to those who feel safer in Europe than they do in the US. Of course "feeling" anything is subjective. And I respect the opinions of others. Still despite my privileged life, the odds of becoming victim here or there is so remote that its not a big concern of mine in most cases.

If I had a trip planned to Belgium I would probably look for accommodations out of the city. Mostly because its bound to be tense in the city and i am not sure i would be comfortable having too much fun around people who have been going through quite an ordeal. The idea that now, because of the reaction to the terrorism, its safer than ever doesn't really hold up or this wouldn't have happened; after all they knew these people were in town and it follows close behind what happened in a year ago at the Museum in Brussels and close behind three separate attacks next door in Paris and that doesn't make me feel just real comfortable with the concept of heightened safety.

If I had no booked plans I have a pretty good bucket list full of places I suspect are lower risk, so why tempt fate with so many other choices unless I felt a need to show support.

I did make one suggestion but I cant find it right now. If you feel a desire to show support through your trip to Brussels or any similar situation then I think that is noble; do it in style. Make yourself a T-Shirt that expresses your point of view and wear it proudly. Possibly a derogatory comment about the organization taking credit for the terrorism. You might look for the victimized neighborhoods and go spend some money or just show up in a part of town where your presence might have some tiny impact. I suggest hugging those that might be collateral victims because of false concepts of association as there is no better sign of solidarity. By the way, I do practice what I suggest.

woinparis,

It's good to hear that you're OK. I'm sorry to hear about the people you mentioned who have been affected by this terrible incident.

According to reports this morning, it sounds like authorities in both Belgium and France (and other countries) are aggressively working to capture those who were involved, and those planning attacks in other parts of Europe.

woinparis, I am so sorry to hear of your friends and acquaintances. Here in the United States, and particularly in the West, everything is geographically huge, so it's very easy to hear of all sorts of disasters and violence without it ever being near you. Obviously, Europe is small by comparison. I hope that we as a world can find our way through this.

For me, I'll be watching some great Belgian cycling tonight, keeping my fingers crossed, and your country in my thoughts. Cheers.

All of the discussion about where to stay, how to travel, etc. to avoid terrorists reminds me of a friend who has a particular habit. We have a piece of I-80 through the mountains, probably three, four miles long where they had to make a cut in a mountain face to get the road through. The result is a road running at the base of a 500, maybe 800 foot rock face. Over the years a number of rocks have broken loose and tumbled onto the roadway causing a number of deaths and injuries. My friend drives a corvette most of the time so when he transits that area he drives it at 80 plus mph under the theory that the less time he spends on that stretch the less chance he has of being hit by a falling rock. His proof - he has never been hit. My thought is maybe - maybe his speeding up gets him to the meeting point with the rock faster. If he had been going slower, maybe the rock would miss him. The bottom line is that it is all random. Whatever action you take may or may not improve your chances of avoiding a terrorists bomb or a problem.

Someone posted that they were going to avoid using public transit. Great, you are in the taxi driving by the car bomb when it goes off. Maybe using the subway would have been a better idea. Some of the French folks were sitting in outdoor cafes in non-tourists areas. I am at a lost as to where I should go to avoid terrorists. Avoid big cities but terrorist could move to the smaller towns because they know they are being watch in the bigger cities. Where do you go?

So my solution is to carry on as usual and look over my shoulder now and then.

So sad for the victims, and also for the loss of trust in our fellow man, and the distrust our brothers and sisters of a different religion, which I see growing here in the US. Of course I will continue to travel.